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Victor Oladipo on 'dope' track Indy 500 drive

Michelle R. Martinelli
Published 11:31 a.m. ET May 26, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS - Victor Oladipo has never been skydiving, but that's the only thing he could compare his high-speed ride around Indianapolis Motor Speedway to. Seventy-eight-year-old racing legend Mario Andretti gave the Indiana Pacers star a ride in his two-seater open-wheeled race car Saturday, hitting speeds between 180 and 200 miles per hour.

"Unbelievable," Oladipo told For The Win about the experience. "It's something that you have to experience. Words can't really describe it. It was just a thrill. I've never jumped out of a plane, but if that's what jumping out of a plane feels like, then yeah, it's pretty dope."

Oladipo will drive the pace car at the Indy 500 on Sunday - a first for a Pacers player "so I've gotta make sure I do a great job." It's his first time at the event nicknamed The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

In addition to his two-seater ride with Andretti Saturday morning, he practiced in the pace car for more than an hour, getting that Chevrolet up to about 125 to 130 miles per hour around the iconic 2.5-mile track. Like a lot of people, he said he's "never" driven that fast before.

"I didn't know what to expect," Oladipo said. "It definitely surprised me, especially the turns. But after a while when you get in there and you get used to it, you don't want to get out. And I can't wait to practice later again today."

The 26-year-old shooting guard - whose first season with the Pacers recently ended when the Cleveland Cavaliers knocked them out of the NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals - also invited a group of local kids from the Concord Neighborhood Center to join him at the track.

"I got a chance to come out here last night and be on the track, and words can't really describe how amazing it is, how it looks, how massive it is," he said. "I can understand why it's such a big deal and why it's one of the largest sporting events ever. So it's pretty dope to be a part of."